Gaslight Anthem - The Diamond Church Street Choir

  by Tara McEvoy

published: 15 / 8 / 2010

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Review

Think of the Gaslight Anthem, and you’ll most likely think of that Bruce Springsteen collaboration. With, ‘The Diamond Church Street Choir’, however, the band prove both that they’ve taken heed of their one time collaborator’s influence, as is displayed clearly here, yet also have the prowess to stand on their own two feet, big name stars joining them onstage or not. A song that recalls the work of Arcade Fire had they grown up listening to classic drive time Americana, ‘... Street Choir’, is a full-on, fists in the air, triumph of a track, a joyous mission statement, that expresses the jubilance of being on top of the world, Brian Fallon’s grizzled voice intoning, "Who does it better than we do?" The answer, Brian? Not many that I can think of. Of course, there is the obligatory, ‘Woah, woah, woah, woah’ refrain, the finger clicks, handclaps, and strung out riffs are all present and correct. It may be textbook stuff, but as a quiet bridge gives way to the final chorus bursting into life, guitars wailing out, it becomes evident that ‘American Slang’, the album from which the single is taken, may be The Gaslight Anthem’s ‘Born to Run’. Who knows, in years to come, new bands may even be lining up for that Brian Fallon collaboration.

Track Listing:-

1 The Diamond Church Street Choir
2 Boxer